“It’s not professional and it’s not ethical” – Liverpool fans furious as star player gets dropped from line-up ahead of Crystal Palace clash

Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to express their disappointment over the exclusion of Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez from the Reds' starting XI set to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday (February 25).

Liverpool's trajectory this year has been all over the place. They failed to win a game in the Premier League in the first month of 2023, which left their top four chances looking bleak. The Reds got back to winning ways by defeating the likes of Everton and Newcastle, however, a 5-2 thrashing against Real Madrid in the Champions League mid-week may impact their confidence once again.

Liverpool face an out-of-form Crystal Palace team. The Eagles have failed to win any of their last five league games, and Jurgen Klopp and co. know three points will be important to boost their top four chances. The Reds are currently 8th with 35 points, and a win would take them one place up to seventh.

Klopp has made four changes to his side from the Reds' last league game. Alisson Becker starts in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, and Andy Robertson make up the back four with Matip replacing Joe Gomez. The midfield comprises skipper Jordan Henderson, as well as James Milner and Naby Keita, who replace Stefan Bajcetic and Fabinho.

Diogo Jota replaces Darwin Nunez on the left side of the front three. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah join the Portuguese international in the attack.

Fans have taken to Twitter to express their disappointment over Nunez missing out from the starting XI:

The Liverpool forward scored against Newcastle and Real Madrid and seems to have gained the self-confidence that was missing all season until now.

The Anfield faithful will now be hoping Jota has a similar impact tonight as he makes his first start in the Premier League since October 2022.

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What happened the last time Liverpool played Crystal Palace?

LFC v Crystal Palace - Premier League

Crystal Palace visited Anfield on August 15, 2022 earlier this season in the Premier League reverse fixture.

The Eagles took a first-half lead in the 32nd minute thanks to Wilfried Zaha. Liverpool dominated possession (73% to 27%), however, for all their shots, they could not find a way back into the game.

Darwin Nunez made the headlines in the second half for all the wrong reasons after he got a straight red card for headbutting Joachim Anderson. Despite playing with 10 men, the Reds scored through a spectacular Luis Diaz goal, with the game finishing 1-1.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for a cleaner game as his side get set to take on Palace at Selhurst Park today.